The Labraventures of Carbón, Spanish (ex-) foster dog extraordinaire
- Thread starter Emily_Babbelhund
- Start date
. Glad that you have your visa. Now rest and get better for Christmas 
- Location
- East Sussex
Glad you got your visa, one less thing to worry about and hope you soon feel better.
- Location
- Wellington, NZ
I can't believe that German bureaucracy is this...crazy! I'm very glad you've got the visa in your hot little hands, and I hope the whole situation is resolved well before the 6 months runs out. I'm glad that you're feeling a bit more human, hopefully you regain your strength over the course of the week. What are your plans for Christmas?
Lisa
Moderator
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
Take it easy and give yourself time to get better, Emily! Glad your visa was sorted out...phew.
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
It’s because Emily is from the US. My son’s citizenship was very simple because we are in the EU. Brexit will cause all of us to have these sorts of issues with travel and residency, not just in Germany. My son’s friend has exactly the same problems every year (he’s from Kansas)
Sorry to swear on our forum with the Brexshit word
Sorry to swear on our forum with the Brexshit word
Emily_Babbelhund
Mama Red HOT Pepper
- Location
- Regensburg, Germany
I feel more like I'm made of phlegm at the momentYou are made of iron woman
but thank you! Oh goodness, the stories I could tell you about what I went through in France for the years that I got my visa there. Waiting two hours in a cage on the street was one of the many humiliating highlights. The first few years, Germany was a magical world of luxurious efficiency in comparison.
The problem was that about two years after the initial immigrant crises and influx, the federal government here pretty much dumped asylum-seekers onto the local immigration office (what I call the foreigner's office here), essentially increasing their client load by about 1000% while adding no additional resources. It went from being a pretty happy place - in it's own little mid-sized town bureaucratic Bavarian way - to what I can only imagine must be now like working in one of Dante's levels of hell. Many of the experienced employees have - wisely - shuffled off to other jobs within the town hall and most of the remaining people are either brand new with no idea how to deal with the influx, or so miserable that they couldn't care less. It's just a bad situation for everyone on either side of the desk!
Yep, Mags has it right (and sending vicarious sympathy to your son's Kansas friend).
By the way, MANY people think a US passport is some sort of golden ticket. It IS if you only want to live and work in the US. It's also great for traveling, as we have the privilege of visiting a huge amount of countries with no visitor's visa required. But the assumption is that we can also easily live and work in other countries. Nope, nope and nope. Not even Canada or Mexico.
Sorry for the slow reply as it's evening now, but feeling much better, thank you!
I made it to the pharmacy and have loaded up on helpful stuff for the stuffy head and cough and got to the grocery store for healthy food. Drinking lots of iced drinks as recommended by @Jacqui-S and still taking it easy, but I'm on the mend.
I still have no voice so I've not been able to call about Carbon's test results, so that's tomorrow's goal: drive to the vet's and pantomime my way as best I can.
No matter what the results are, Carbon will be absolutely fine as he's already happy and healthy taking his Alopurinol tablets every day. If he needs to keep doing that, he'll keep doing that. However...I know it's greedy as I've already had one Christmas miracle with my visa, but the real Christmas miracle would be getting negative Leish results.
So come on, just a little more lambie power...
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I always save catching up on the labraventure for when I have time to read it properly. Am having a pedicure and just caught up. I'm so sorry you caught such a dreadful flu on top of everything else Emily. Glad you are on the mend
@Cath - how did I not know you were half Aussie ? You kept that quiet!!!
@Cath - how did I not know you were half Aussie ? You kept that quiet!!!
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
The Lambies are a-gathering!
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
No matter how limited, you are now an official aussie along with @Emily , @Oberon and @VanillaBean. Please practice shouting ' Aussie Aussie Aussie, OI OI Oi!!'
Cath
MLF Sales Coordinator
Emily_Babbelhund
Mama Red HOT Pepper
- Location
- Regensburg, Germany
Well, today didn't go quite the way I wanted it, despite some truly magnificent lambie power. When I walked into the vet's office and they didn't simply throw me the thumbs up and the lab results but instead asked me to wait for a squeeze-in appointment despite the already full waiting room, I pretty much knew it wasn't going to be a Christmas miracle for our Señor Carboncito.
Of course there was always a chance it would go this way - the vet did say that there was a 5% chance that he'd still test positive for Leish despite the eye mucous test which came back negative. I also know what I said about a positive test not changing the fact that he's currently a happy and healthy boy, and it doesn't. But I'm not going to lie, after getting through the talk with the vet with a stupid polite smile pasted on my face, I just sat in the car and cried and cried. I'm gutted.
But here's the clinical non-emotional bit from the vet: he has got higher levels than normal of inflammation which is an indicator of antibodies fighting off something and his ELISA test came back as borderline positive for Leish. However, the evidence from no Leish DNA in his eye mucous indicates it STILL could be a result of antibodies against Leish and not actually Leish in his body. So he continues to take his Alopurinol and he gets tested again in six months. Also the inflammation levels are, according to the vet, not high at all, just elevated over normal. All his other numbers look absolutely perfect. Also his ELISA number has gone down just from September's test, which is hopeful.
However, here's me admitting that all this Leish stuff is SO confusing. I hear 'antibodies' this and 'inflammation' that and I really don't understand it, especially when I'm emotional.
With that in mind, my brain wasn't working enough to ask if treating him with glutamine or other stronger meds would be helpful. I did think to ask for a urine test as he's been desperately wee-ing and having a harder time holding it lately. Which could just be because I've not been as good about taking him out multiple times a day as I did in the summer because it's freezing and I'm a wimpy Californian. So I've got a follow up appointment after Christmas for the urine test and by then I will also have more intelligent questions to ask about the test results too. I hope.
So no happy ending today but rather more of a 'to be continued'. I wish I wasn't so upset about this, because I have to say that Carbon certainly isn't. He's his normal goobey self and wishes I just get over my own teary self and take him out for a good long romp with his ball.
And he's absolutely right about that, isn't he?
Of course there was always a chance it would go this way - the vet did say that there was a 5% chance that he'd still test positive for Leish despite the eye mucous test which came back negative. I also know what I said about a positive test not changing the fact that he's currently a happy and healthy boy, and it doesn't. But I'm not going to lie, after getting through the talk with the vet with a stupid polite smile pasted on my face, I just sat in the car and cried and cried. I'm gutted.
But here's the clinical non-emotional bit from the vet: he has got higher levels than normal of inflammation which is an indicator of antibodies fighting off something and his ELISA test came back as borderline positive for Leish. However, the evidence from no Leish DNA in his eye mucous indicates it STILL could be a result of antibodies against Leish and not actually Leish in his body. So he continues to take his Alopurinol and he gets tested again in six months. Also the inflammation levels are, according to the vet, not high at all, just elevated over normal. All his other numbers look absolutely perfect. Also his ELISA number has gone down just from September's test, which is hopeful.
However, here's me admitting that all this Leish stuff is SO confusing. I hear 'antibodies' this and 'inflammation' that and I really don't understand it, especially when I'm emotional.
With that in mind, my brain wasn't working enough to ask if treating him with glutamine or other stronger meds would be helpful. I did think to ask for a urine test as he's been desperately wee-ing and having a harder time holding it lately. Which could just be because I've not been as good about taking him out multiple times a day as I did in the summer because it's freezing and I'm a wimpy Californian. So I've got a follow up appointment after Christmas for the urine test and by then I will also have more intelligent questions to ask about the test results too. I hope.
So no happy ending today but rather more of a 'to be continued'. I wish I wasn't so upset about this, because I have to say that Carbon certainly isn't. He's his normal goobey self and wishes I just get over my own teary self and take him out for a good long romp with his ball.
And he's absolutely right about that, isn't he?
Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
Yes, a long romp with his ball will do you both good 
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